Editing Xterm (section)

{{short description|Standard terminal emulator for the X Window system}}
{{lowercase}}
{{distinguish|text=[[X terminal]] display/input terminal hardware}}
{{Infobox software
| name                   = <code>xterm</code>
| logo                   = Icon of XTerm (from 2012).svg
| screenshot             = Xterm.png
| caption                = A sample xterm, running the Bash shell, showing a listing of /etc.
| author                 = Mark Vandevoorde
| developer              = Thomas Dickey
| released               = {{Start date and age|1984}}
| genre                  = [[Terminal emulator]]
| license                = [[MIT License|MIT]]/X Consortium License
| website                = {{Official URL}}
| latest release version = {{wikidata|property|edit|reference|P348}}
| latest release date    = {{start date and age|{{wikidata|qualifier|P348|P577}}}}
| operating_system       = [[Unix]], [[Unix-like]], [[MVS]] [[OpenVMS]], [[OS/2]]
}}

'''xterm''' is the standard [[terminal emulator]] for the [[X Window System]].  It allows users to run programs which require a [[command-line interface]].

If no particular program is specified, xterm runs the user's [[Unix shell|shell]].  An X [[display device|display]] can show one or more user's xterm windows [[input/output|output]] at the same time.<ref>{{cite book|isbn=978-0596555191|title=Mac OS X for Unix Geeks (Leopard): Demistifying the Geekier Side of Mac OS X|last1=Rothman|first1=Ernest E|last2=Jepson|first2=Brian|last3=Rosen|first3=Rich|date=2008-09-18|publisher="O'Reilly Media, Inc." }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|isbn=978-0789718051|title=The Complete Idiot's Guide to UNIX|last1=Wagner|first1=Bill|year=1998|publisher=Penguin |url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/completeidiots00wagn}}</ref> Each xterm window is a separate [[Process (computing)|process]], but all share the same [[Computer keyboard|keyboard]], taking turns as each xterm process acquires [[Focus (computing)|''focus'']].  Normally focus switches between X applications as the user moves the pointer (e.g., a mouse cursor) about the screen, but xterm provides options to ''grab focus'' (the ''Secure Keyboard'' feature) as well as accept input events sent without using the keyboard (the ''Allow SendEvents'' feature).  Those options have limitations, as discussed in the xterm manual.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://invisible-island.net/xterm/manpage/xterm.html#h2-SECURITY |title=xterm(1) |at=Security |accessdate=December 21, 2021 }}</ref>

XTerm originated prior to the X Window System. It was originally written as a stand-alone terminal emulator for the [[VAXStation 100]] (VS100) by Mark Vandevoorde, a student of [[Jim Gettys]], in the summer of 1984, when work on X started. It rapidly became clear that it would be more useful as part of X than as a standalone program, so it was retargeted to X. As Gettys tells the story, "part of why xterm's internals are so horrifying is that it was originally intended that a single process be able to drive multiple VS100 displays."<ref>{{cite web
 | url          = https://invisible-island.net/xterm/xterm.faq.html#who_did_it
 | title        = XTerm – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), Who wrote XTerm?
 | author       = Thomas E. Dickey
 | access-date  = 2018-06-04
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20180624104926/https://invisible-island.net/xterm/xterm.faq.html#who_did_it
 | archive-date = 2018-06-24
 | url-status   = live}}</ref>

After many years as part of the X [[reference implementation]], around 1996 the main line of development then shifted to [[XFree86]] (which itself forked from X11R6.3), and it is now maintained by Thomas Dickey.

Many xterm variants are also available, such as hanterm, a variant tailored to Korean speakers, and kterm, which is designed for Japanese speakers.<ref>{{cite web
 | url          = https://invisible-island.net/xterm/xterm.faq.html#other_versions
 | title        = XTerm – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), What versions are available?
 | author       = Thomas E. Dickey
 | access-date  = 2018-06-04
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20180624104926/https://invisible-island.net/xterm/xterm.faq.html#other_versions
 | archive-date = 2018-06-24
 | url-status   = live}}</ref> Most terminal emulators for X started as variations on xterm.{{dubious|most terminal emulators for X|date=July 2024}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://tldp.org/HOWTO/Xterm-Title-6.html |title=How to change the title of an xterm |author=Ric Lister |date=27 October 1999 |at=6. Appendix: escapes for other terminal types}}</ref>